I know, I’ve been MIA again. *sigh* I’ve just been really busy… its the holidays, and I’ve been preoccupied setting up my new blog at mariloca.com and writing and gathering pictures together for my Cupcakes Take the Cake guest blog (which will be on the 23rd- mark your calendars!) But alas, I’m here with a peace offering: some cupcake porn! Chocolate cupcakes with  pink vanilla-mint buttercream and topped with red sugar and crushed candy-canes on top. Its kind of a Christmas must-have to make something chocolate/mint, and while I have a few other tricks up my sleeve involving this combo for Christmas this year, who can turn down cupcakes? Because this is something I’ve done before many times, and I’ve used both of these recipes before, the recipes for both the cakes and the frosting can be found by clicking the ‘continue reading‘ link at the bottom of this post so they don’t clog up the page and waste space.

But I do have a little tip for you: if you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour. Just use 7/8 cup all-purpose flour per cup of cake flour called for. The texture will not be the same, it won’t be as delicate, but in a pinch it’ll do. And most people probably won’t be able to tell the difference. You’d be surprised at how indelicate most peoples palates are. In chocolate cupcakes, like these for example, its not as big of a deal. They just come out denser and “thicker.” In vanilla cupcakes it kinda does make a difference.

I wanna thank the amazing Yoyo for the liners I used, they came today in a package she sent me!

It was filled with a homemade Christmas card…

Tons of handmade mini-tissue pack holders and Christmas cupcake liners, like these…

And an apron made out of a fabric very appropriate for me…

I’ll get better pics of the apron and hopefully a full-shot of it this week.

Thanks so much Yoyo! ♥

On that note, I’m off. I’ll be back with more Christmas-like recipes.

BILLY’S BAKERY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (8 ounces)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
• 1 cup light brown sugar (7-¾ ounces)
• 4 large eggs (one at a time)
• 6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
• 2 cups cake flour (9-¼ ounces)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add 4 large eggs (one at a time) and beat each until thoroughly combined, then add  chocolate (chocolate should be melted, then cooled for approximately 15 minutes before being added)*. Add and alternate cake flour plus baking soda with buttermilk (room temperature) plus vanilla extract.
3. Place cupcake paper into each cup of 2 muffin pans (each pan yielding 12 muffins). Then fill each cup with 1 leveled off scoop of an ice cream scooper.
4. Bake at 350 degrees in regular oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

VANILLA MINT BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• ½ cup shortening (or, alternately, for stiffer frosting, one cup shortening plus 1 tsp butter flavoring)
• 4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp mint extract
• ¼ cup milk
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Beat the shortening and butter together until well combined and fluffy. Add 4 cups of the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
2. Add the vanilla, mint extract and milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy. Add other cup of sugar if needed.
3. Add some food coloring if desired, and mix until combined.